Random House New Releases - Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions

Conversation Pieces by Mark Carnall

2013-07-23T00:30:00-05:00

Conversation Pieces Inspirational objects in UCL's historic collections
Written by Mark Carnall

eBook, 96 pages | Shire | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Science - Paleontology; Science - Botany | $13.95 | 978-0-7478-1399-6 (0-7478-1399-X)

This book, beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photography, is a celebration of UCL’s unique collections, with leading academics from the university invited to select and write about an object each found inspiring. From a jar of moles to an Egyptian unguent spoon, a finger X-ray to some prehistoric cereal grains, their choices were often surprising, their responses always fascinating.

The GH Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps by Leon Finik

2012-12-23T00:30:00-05:00

The GH Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps
Written by Thomas Lera and Leon Finik

Hardcover, 307 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Antiques & Collectibles - Stamps; History - Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union); Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $49.95 | 978-1-935623-11-3 (1-935623-11-7)

A quiet philatelist, George H. Kaestlin joined the original Rossika Society in 1935 along with the better known Theo B. Lavroff and K. Szymanowski. Whereas Lavroff contributed significantly to Russian philately as an author and researcher and Szymanowski was an avid collector, Kaestlin collected privately. Born in Moscow, circa 1893, Kaestlin arrived in England in 1939. After World War II, When the original Rossika dissolved, he did not join the newly reconstituted Rossica Society of the United States. He never wrote for any philatelic magazine, never joined the London-based British Society of Russian Philately, and never showed his material at any exhibition. Thus he managed to elude notice in the literature of the times and receded into obscurity. Kaestlin’s exceedingly remarkable contribution, however, is found in the quality and scope of his collection and in the preservation of the treasures he acquired (many from the legendary Fabergé collection).

Kaestlin’s attention to detail and fastidious collecting habits are evident in the layout and handwriting in his albums. His collection, donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1984 by his niece Vera Madeleine Kaestlin-Bock, includes more than 1,250 album pages on which he organized more than 14,000 Imperial Russian and zemstvo stamps. The quality of the stamps is outstanding. With the publication of this book, Kaestlin can finally take his place among the greats of Russian philately. The G.H. Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps is one of the greatest museum collections outside of Russia.

Against the Grain by Lowery Sims

2012-10-30T00:30:00-05:00

Against the Grain Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design
Written by Lowery Sims

Hardcover, 176 pages | The Monacelli Press | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $45.00 | 978-1-58093-344-5 (1-58093-344-0)

Focusing on some of the most interesting conceptual technical trends in wood working today, Against the Grain includes approximately 65 vessels, sculptures, furniture, and installations, created since 2000, which provocatively defy categories and celebrate the visual dynamics of wood. The book demonstrates how contemporary creators have engaged the medium of wood in strategies that might be described as “postmodern,” employing mimicry, assemblage, virtuosity, and whimsy (with a serious purpose). Environmental issues also are prominently addressed. Artists represented include Derek Bencomo, Gary Carsley, Hunt Clark, Piet Hein Eek, David Ellsworth, Sebastian Errazuriz, Bud Latven, Mark Lindquist, Thomas Loeser, Sarah Oppenheimer, William Pope.L, Martin Puryear, Marc Andre Robinson, Laurel Roth, Betye Saar, Courtney Smith, Elisa Strozyk, Alison Elizabeth Taylor, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists by Faythe Levine

2012-09-18T00:30:00-05:00

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists
Written by Mary Savig
Foreword by Faythe Levine

Hardcover, 208 pages | Smithsonian Books | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Crafts & Hobbies - Papercrafts; Art - History - American | $24.95 | 978-1-58834-330-7 (1-58834-330-8)

Handmade Holiday Cards shows how artists imagined the holidays through original watercolors, etchings, silk-screen prints, and drawings. Rarely seen beyond the eyes of their recipients, these cards confirm the irrepressible artistry of their senders. Handmade Holiday Cards offers personal insight into the style and sentiment of artists, including how they summed up the year's events in their own lives and the world in which they lived.

The introduction by archives specialist Mary Savig explores the intersections between commercial holiday cards and the art world--how holiday cards were first marketed as "affordable art" and how selling their art to card companies often provided income for artists in lean times. She then opens up the more intimate dimensions of an artist's social network, illuminating their relationships with dealers, curators, teachers, and close friends. Captions introduce each artist, compare or contrast the holiday card to his/her body of work, and discuss the relationship to the recipient when relevant.

Handmade Holiday Cards illustrates and contextualizes a broad range of one-of-a-kind artworks or limited edition print series by well-known artists such as Josef Albers, Milton Avery, Alexander Calder, Robert Indiana, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Robert Motherwell, Nickolas Muray, and Ad Reinhardt. It will appeal to anyone interested in greeting cards, ephemeral art, illustrated correspondence, and the history of American art.

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists by Faythe Levine

2012-09-18T00:30:00-05:00

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists
Written by Mary Savig
Foreword by Faythe Levine

eBook, 208 pages | Smithsonian Books | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Crafts & Hobbies - Papercrafts; Art - History - American | $24.95 | 978-1-58834-387-1 (1-58834-387-1)

The Art of Video Games by Elizabeth Broun

2012-03-05T00:30:00-05:00

The Art of Video Games From Pac-Man to Mass Effect
Written by Chris Melissinos
Foreword by Elizabeth Broun
Introduction by Mike Mika

Hardcover, 216 pages | Welcome Books | Games - Video & Electronic; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $40.00 | 978-1-59962-110-4 (1-59962-110-X)

In the forty years since the first Magnavox Odyssey pixel winked on in 1972, the home video game industry has undergone a mind-blowing evolution. Fueled by unprecedented advances in technology, boundless imaginations, and an insatiable addiction to fantastic new worlds of play, the video game has gone supernova, rocketing two generations of fans into an ever-expanding universe where art, culture, reality, and emotion collide.

As a testament to the cultural impact of the game industry’s mega morph, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, with curator and author Chris Melissinos, conceived the forthcoming exhibition, The Art of Video Games, which will run from March 16 to September 30, 2012.* Welcome Books will release the companion book this March.

Melissinos presents video games as not just mere play, but richly textured emotional and social experiences that have crossed the boundary into culture and art.

Along with a team of game developers, designers, and journalists, Melissinos chose a pool of 240 games across five different eras to represent the diversity of the game world. Criteria included visual effects, creative use of technologies, and how world events and popular culture manifested in the games. The museum then invited the public to go online to help choose the games. More than 3.7 million votes (from 175 countries) later, the eighty winners featured in The Art of Video Games exhibition and book were selected.

From the Space Invaders of the seventies to sophisticated contemporary epics BioShock and Uncharted 2, Melissinos examines each of the winning games, providing a behind-the-scenes look at their development and innovation, and commentary on the relevance of each in the history of video games.

Over 100 composite images, created by Patrick O’Rourke, and drawn directly from the games themselves, illustrate the evolution of video games as an artistic medium, both technologically and creatively.

Additionally, The Art of Video Games includes fascinating interviews with influential artists and designers–from pioneers such as Nolan Bushnell to contemporary innovators including Warren Spector, Tim Schafer and Robin Hunicke.

The foreword was written by Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Mike Mika, noted game preservationist and prolific developer, contributed the introduction the introduction.

*After Washington D.C., the exhibition travels to several cities across the United States, including Boca Raton (Museum of Art), Seattle (EMP Museum), Yonkers, NY (Hudson River Museum) and Flint, MI (Flint Institute of Arts). For the latest confirmed dates and venues, please visit the The Art of Video Games exhibition page at http://americanart.si.edu/taovg

OFFF, Year Zero by Offf

2011-08-02T00:30:00-05:00

OFFF, Year Zero Artwork and Designs from the OFFF Festival
Written by Offf

Hardcover, 304 pages | Mark Batty Publisher | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Group Shows; Art - Digital & Video | $60.00 | 978-1-935613-29-9 (1-935613-29-4)

More than a decade ago, OFFF was born as a post-digital culture festival, featuring some of the world's most relevant contemporary artists, designers, and media mavens. Since then, it has become a way to understand art, culture, and our constantly evolving way of life. This year, the festival embraces its return to Barcelona, celebrating "Year Zero" by forgetting its illustrious past in order to re-invent itself.

As is the case every year, OFFF produces a sumptuous book that serves as the festival catalogue and an invaluable resource for anyone that wants to know about the bleeding edge of visual culture. OFFF, Year Zero promises to be the most impressive book yet, comprising artwork and essays created specifically for the festival and only available in this book, as well as an exclusive DVD. Every page is die-cut, so the artworks can be hung on the walls of homes and studios. The staggering list of contributing artists and designers includes Stefan Sagmeister, Rick Poyner, Erik Spiekermann, Keetra Dean Dixon, and Vimeo founder Blake Whitman.

Shipwrecked by J. Keith Wilson

2011-03-08T00:30:00-05:00

Shipwrecked Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds
Written by Regina Krahl
Edited by John Guy, Julian Raby and J. Keith Wilson

Hardcover, 328 pages | Smithsonian Books | Art; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Social Science - Archaeology | $65.00 | 978-1-58834-305-5 (1-58834-305-7)

Part adventure story, part maritime archaeological expedition, part historical look into ninth-century Chinese economy, culture, and trade, Shipwrecked is a fascinating journey back in time.

Twelve centuries ago, a merchant ship—an Arab dhow—foundered on a reef just off the coast of Belitung, a small island in the Java Sea. The cargo was a remarkable assemblage of lead ingots, bronze mirrors, spice-filled jars, intricately worked vessels of silver and gold, and more than 60,000 glazed bowls, ewers, and other ceramics. The ship remained buried at sea for more than a millennium, its contents protected from erosion by their packing and the conditions of the silty sea floor. Shipwrecked explores this precious cargo and the story of the men who sailed it, with more than 250 gorgeous photographs and essays by international experts in Arab ship-building methods, pan-Asian maritime trade, ceramics, precious metalwork, and more.

A Revolution in Wood by Elizabeth Broun

2010-09-21T00:30:00-05:00

A Revolution in Wood The Bresler Collection
Written by Nicholas R. Bell
Afterword by Kenneth Trapp
Foreword by Elizabeth Broun

Hardcover, 152 pages | Smithsonian Books | Art; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Permanent Collections; Crafts & Hobbies - Woodwork | $45.00 | 978-1-58834-304-8 (1-58834-304-9)

A Revolution in Wood celebrates the magnificent gift of sixty-six pieces of turned and carved wood to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum by the distinguished collectors Fleur and Charles Bresler. Illustrated in lavish detail, works by this country's best-known wood artists highlight the growing sophistication of American craft's youngest medium and the expressive capacity of its most organic material.

Masterpieces by the field's pioneers, including David Ellsworth, William Hunter, Mark and Melvin Lindquist, Edward Moulthrop, and Rude Osolnik, demonstrate the extraordinary range of expression achievable on the lathe, the medium's foundational tool. Compelling recent works by Ron Fleming, Michelle Holzapfel, Hugh McKay, Norm Sartorius, Mark Sfirri, and many others reveal the advent of new techniques, including multi-axis turning, the incorporation of secondary materials, and a strong focus on carving.

A wide-ranging essay by Renwick Curator Nicholas R. Bell examines contemporary wood art's historical roots and its rapid growth since the 1970s. Particular attention is given to the medium's development outside the studio craft movement and how that dynamic has shaped the current field.

An interview with Fleur Bresler by former Renwick Curator-in-Charge Kenneth R. Trapp offers a window on the collector's passion and highlights her twenty-five-year dedication to wood and to the artists she considers family.

The final section, “Wood Art at the Renwick Gallery,” illustrates in color over two hundred works by more than one hundred artists, making this premier public collection available in print for the first time. From James Prestini's original gift of twenty pieces before the Renwick's opening to experimental works by current artists, this guide to the Smithsonian's collection will serve as a reference for years to come.

Collecting Native America, 1870-1960 by Shepard Krech, III

2010-02-15T00:30:00-05:00

Collecting Native America, 1870-1960
Written by Shepard Krech, III

Trade Paperback, 304 pages | Smithsonian Books | Social Science - Native American Studies; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $39.95 | 978-1-58834-277-5 (1-58834-277-8)

Between the 1870s and 1950s collectors vigorously pursued the artifacts of Native American groups. Setting out to preserve what they thought was a vanishing culture, they amassed ethnographic and archaeological collections amounting to well over one million objects and founded museums throughout North America that were meant to educate the public about American Indian skills, practices, and beliefs.

In Collecting Native America contributors examine the motivations, intentions, and actions of eleven collectors who devoted substantial parts of their lives and fortunes to acquiring American Indian objects and founding museums. They describe obsessive hobbyists such as George Heye, who, beginning with the purchase of a lice-ridden shirt, built a collection that—still unsurpassed in richness, diversity, and size—today forms the core of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary in Alaska, collected and displayed artifacts as a means of converting Native peoples to Christianity. Clara Endicott Sears used sometimes invented displays and ceremonies at her Indian Museum near Boston to emphasize Native American spirituality. The contributors chart the collectors' diverse attitudes towards Native peoples, showing how their limited contact with American Indian groups resulted in museums that revealed more about assumptions of the wider society than about the cultures being described.

Experimental Geography by Jeffrey Kastner

2009-01-13T00:30:00-05:00

Experimental Geography Radical Approaches to Landscape, Cartography, and Urbanism
Written by Nato Thompson and Independent Curators International
Contribution by Trevor Paglen and Jeffrey Kastner

Trade Paperback, 168 pages | Melville House | Art - Art & Politics; Art - Graffiti & Street Art; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Group Shows | $29.95 | 978-0-09-163658-6 (0-09-163658-2)

A photo of a secret CIA prison. A map designed to help visitors reach Malibu’s notoriously inaccessible public beaches. Guidebooks to factories, prisons, and power plants in upstate New York. An artificial reef fabricated from 500 tons of industrial waste. These are some of the more than one hundred projects represented in Experimental Geography, a groundbreaking
collection of visual research and mapmaking from the past ten years.

Experimental Geography explores the distinctions between geographical study and artistic experience of the earth, as well as the juncture where the two realms collide (and possibly make a new field altogether). This lavishly illustrated book features more than a dozen maps; artwork by Francis Alÿs, Alex Villar, and Yin Xiuzhen; and recent projects by The Center for Land Use Interpretation, the Raqs Media Collective, and the Center for Urban Pedagogy.

The collection is framed by essays by bestselling author Trevor Paglen, Jeffrey Kastner, and editor Nato Thompson.

The Museum of Bad Art by Louise Reilly Sacco

2008-05-01T00:30:00-05:00

The Museum of Bad Art Masterworks
Written by Michael Frank and Louise Reilly Sacco

Hardcover, 128 pages | Ten Speed Press | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Humor - Topic - Adult; Crafts & Hobbies - Painting | $14.95 | 978-1-58008-911-1 (1-58008-911-9)

Located in the basement of a theater, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a unique institution dedicated to the celebration of artistic effort, however misguided. The Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks presents a pulsating collection of more than seventy never-before-published pieces of artwork from MOBA's permanent collection. Comprised largely of canvases found discarded on curbside trash piles or obtained for a pittance at thrift stores, this innovative compilation occupies a niche previously ignored in the international community of art collection, preservation, and interpretation. If the subjectivity of art appreciation were ever in doubt, this astonishing assortment of artistic commentaries will fan the flames of controversy. It is clear that many of these artists suffered for their art; now it's your turn.

A photographic catalog of 70 exquisitely bad pieces of master artwork from the permanent collection of the Museum of Bad Art in Dedham, Massachusetts. Featuring profiles of select MOBA artists as well as the stories behind the art. ReviewsBoston Globe 4/30/08: Shopping Tip of the Day.

Craft in America by Steve Fenton

2007-10-09T00:30:00-05:00

Craft in America Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects
Written by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton

Hardcover, 320 pages | Potter Style | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $60.00 | 978-0-307-34647-6 (0-307-34647-1)

For two centuries, Americans have made stunning, utilitarian objects by hand. Each tells a story—about the person who laid his or her hands to the work; about the historical moment in which it was created; and about the political mood, community, and cultural forces that gave rise to that design.

The only book of its kind and the companion book to the PBS series of the same name, Craft in America highlights the work of America’s most interesting craft artists past and present. Illustrated with more than 200 commanding images and signature objects from furniture, wood, ceramics, and glass to fiber, quilts, jewelry, metal, and basketry, this definitive work shows how crafts, long admired for their marriage of functionality and creativity, also reflect our nation’s history and the remarkable people who passed on their traditions.

The last two hundred years have brought extraordinary transformation to America—not just in the landscape and culture but also to the myriad communities that crisscross the continent. Organized by the societies in which our many craft traditions originated, Craft in America introduces the virtuoso craftspeople who expressed and elevated the values and ideals of their groups—ideals that have become quintessentially American. From American Indians and enslaved Africans who worked with indigenous materials to religious people such as Shakers, whose clean lines reflect adherence to simplicity; from designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement for whom handmade objects held a moral integrity and righteousness to the government-sponsored WPA artists who created in the service of their nation, to today’s studio artists reimagining meaning and methods, Craft in America unfolds a rarely examined side of our history.
Visceral, important, and seductively beautiful, and with a prologue from former president Jimmy Carter, Craft in America showcases some of the most important American objects. In these pages, you will discover how handcrafted objects are not only essential to daily life but how they are also a culture’s tribute to its own character and place in history. They embody the desire to remember, reflect, and connect, serving as bridges among individuals, community, and the environment.

Craft in America will take you on an aesthetic adventure through the evolution of craft and reveal what makes American crafts uniquely ours. Ultimately, this is the story of how enduring handmade objects both unite and define us as Americans.

CRAFT IN AMERICA, INC., is a nonprofit organi-zation based in Los Angeles that is dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and celebration of craft and its impact on our nation’s cultural heritage. The mission of Craft in America is to document and advance the original handcrafted works through programs in all media made accessible to all Americans.

The Art of Gaman by Kit Hinrichs

2005-10-01T00:30:00-05:00

The Art of Gaman Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946
Written by Delphine Hirasuna
Designed by Kit Hinrichs
Photographed by Terry Heffernan

Hardcover, 128 pages | Ten Speed Press | Art - American - Asian American; Art - History; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $35.00 | 978-1-58008-689-9 (1-58008-689-6)

In 1942, Executive Order 9066 mandated the incarceration of 110,000 Japanese Americans, including men, women, children, the elderly, and the infirm, for the duration of the war. Allowed only what they could carry, they were given just a few days to settle their affairs and report to assembly centers. Businesses were lost, personal property was stolen or vandalized, and lives were shattered. The Japanese word gaman means "enduring what seems unbearable with dignity and grace. "Imprisoned in remote camps surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by soldiers with machine guns, the internees sought courage and solace in art. Using found materials at first and later what they could order by catalog, they whittled and carved, painted and etched, stitched and crocheted. What they created is a celebration of the nobility of the human spirit under adversity. THE ART OF GAMAN presents more than 150 examples of art created by internees, along with a history of the camps.Reviews". . . demonstrates the poignancy of the internment experience and the strength of the human spirit."-Alaska Airlines Magazine

Legacies by Kathleen M. Kendrick

2001-09-17T00:30:00-05:00

Legacies Collecting America's History at the Smithsonian
Written by Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick

Hardcover, 256 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; History - United States; Art - Museum Studies | $39.95 | 978-1-56098-886-1 (1-56098-886-X)

The Smithsonian Institution has been America's museum since 1846. What do its vast collections -- from the ruby slippers to a piece of Plymouth Rock, first ladies' gowns to patchwork quilts, a Model T Ford to a customized Ford LTD low rider -- tell Americans about themselves? In this lavishly illustrated guide to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick tell the stories behind more than 250 of the museum's treasures, many of them never before photographed for publication. These stories not only reveal what America as a nation has decided to save and why but also speak to changing visions of national identity.

As the authors demonstrate, views of history change over time, methods of historical investigation evolve and improve, and Americas' understand of the past matures. Shifts in focus and attitude lie at the hearth of Legacies, which is organized around four concepts of what a national museum of history can be: a treasure house, a shrine to the famous, a palace of progress, and a mirror of the nation. Thus, the museum collects cherished or precious objects, houses celebrity memorabilia, documents technological advances, and reflects visitors' own lives. Taking examples from science and technology, politics, decorative arts, military history, ethnic heritage, popular culture and everyday life, the authors provide historical context for the work of the Smithsonian and shed new light on what is important, and who is included, in American history. Throughout its history, Lubar and Kendrick conclude, the museum has played a vital role in both shaping and reflecting America's sense of itself as a nation.

Skilled Work by Howard Risatti

1998-03-17T00:30:00-05:00

Skilled Work American Craft in the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Written by Renwick Gallery, Kenneth R. Trapp and Howard Risatti

Trade Paperback, 191 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Art - Museum Studies; Crafts & Hobbies | $39.95 | 978-1-56098-806-9 (1-56098-806-1)

Marking its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1997, the Renwick Gallery has become the nation's premier showcase and study center for objects made of metal, fiber, wood, clay, and glass. As a curatorial department of the National Museum of American Art, the Renwick has grown from a kunsthalle for temporary exhibitions to a museum branch dedicated to collecting, research, publications, exhibitions, and education. The Renwick's efforts have played a major role in heightening public appreciation of crafts and providing encouragement to those who create them. This book serves as an introduction to the world of modern crafts, exploring in both words and pictures the vibrant diversity of objects that have entered the Renwick Gallery's collection. In his essay for the book, curator-in-charge Kenneth R. Trapp traces the Renwick's history, highlighting the contributions of his predecessors and the many other people whose commitment to the gallery has ensured its success, notably the James Renwick Alliance. In his essay Howard Risatti explores our intuitive understanding of the way crafts are related to the human body and their consequent deep meaning for us. Also included are brief biographies of sixty-five artists whose work is represented in the book, among them Anni Albers, Wendell Castle, Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, Peter Voulkos, and Beatrice Wood.

Reflections of a Culture Broker by Richard Kurin

1997-11-17T00:30:00-05:00

Reflections of a Culture Broker A View from the Smithsonian
Written by Richard Kurin

Trade Paperback, 315 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Art - Museum Studies; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Social Science | $27.95 | 978-1-56098-757-4 (1-56098-757-X)

Is culture brokered like stocks, real estate, or marriage? In this engaging book, Richard Kurin shows that cultures are also mediated and indeed brokered by countries, organizations, communities, and individuals -- all with their own vision of the truth and varying abilities to impose it on others. Drawing on his diverse experiences in producing exhibitions and public programs, Kurin challenges culture brokers -- defined broadly to include museum professionals, film-makers, journalists, festival producers, and scholars of many disciplines -- to reveal more clearly the nature of their interpretations, to envision the ways in which their messages can "play" to different audiences, and to better understand the relationship between knowledge, art, politics, and entertainment. The book documents a variety of cases in which the Smithsonian has brokered culture for the American public: a planned exhibit on Jerusalem had to balance both Israeli and Palestinian agendas; debates over the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival presented differing visions of the American South; and the National Air and Space Museum's controversial display of the Enola Gay prompted the Smithsonian to re-examine the role of national museums. Arguing that cultural exhibits reflect a series of decisions about representing someone, someplace, and something, Reflections of a Culture Broker discusses the ethical and technical problems faced by not only those who practice in a museum setting but also anyone charged with representing culture in a public forum.

Great French Paintings From The Barnes Foundation by Barnes Foundation

1995-11-14T00:30:00-05:00

Great French Paintings From The Barnes Foundation Impressionist, Post-impressionist, and Early Modern
Written by Barnes Foundation

Trade Paperback, 338 pages | Knopf | Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions | $65.00 | 978-0-679-76221-8 (0-679-76221-3)

The pictures that made history as they traveled around the world on their only exhibition tour: more than a hundred masterpieces of modern French painting from one of the world's fabled repositories of great art—The Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania—are here published in trade paperback for the first time.

These paintings are the crowning glory of the extraordinary collection assembled in the early twentieth century by Dr. Albert C. Barnes, the bold and original collector who established the Foundation in 1922 as a school for the study of art and philosophy. Now, after six decades of limited access to visitors and a ban on color reproduction, the Barnes Foundation welcomes a wider audience both on its premises and through the publication of this magnificent volume, containing the most eagerly awaited set of reproductions in art-book history.

Manet, Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rousseau, Soutine, La Fresnaye, Modigliani, Picasso, Braque, and Matisse—the list of artists gives only a hint of the splendors this book contains. Here are major landmarks of modern art, including twenty-four Renoirs encompassing the entire span of his career . . . thirty monumental Cézannes, including bather groups, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits . . . Matisse's pivotal Bonheur de vivre, Three Sisters Triptych, and world-famous Dance mural (and eighteen other paintings and oil studies) . . . the finest of van Gogh's six paintings of Joseph-Etienne Roulin . . . Seurat's celebrated Models . . . The Douanier Rousseau's strange, unsettling Unpleasant Surprise . . . the tender portrait of young M. Loulou by Gauguin . . . a spectacular cluster of seven early Picassos. And this is only a sampling of the exhilarating visual banquet offered in these pages.

To describe the paintings and relate the achievements of Dr. Barnes as a collector and educator, commentaries and essays have been provided by a dozen notable American and French art historians and curators. Together they provide the historical and aesthetic setting for these glowing jewels of modern art.

For everyone to whom the paintings in the Barnes Foundation have been a legend—unattainable—and for every devotee of great art and beautiful books, this volume will be a joy and a treasure.

With 320 illustrations, 151 in full color, and 18 pages of gatefolds.

Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries by Smithsonian Institution Libraries

1995-08-17T00:30:00-05:00

Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Written by Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Trade Paperback, 106 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Antiques & Collectibles - Books; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Language Arts & Disciplines - Library & Information Science | $24.95 | 978-1-56098-625-6 (1-56098-625-5)

A richly illustrated, full color survey of the valuable and unusual materials in the Smithsonian Libraries' Special Collections Department.

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations by Stephen E. Weil

1990-05-17T00:30:00-05:00

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations
Written by Stephen E. Weil

Trade Paperback, 173 pages | Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press | Art - Museum Studies; Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions; Art | $24.95 | 978-0-87474-953-3 (0-87474-953-0)

In these 19 insightful and frequently witty meditations, Stephen E. Weil examines the purposes and functions of the museum in the late 20th century, proposing museums make encounters with a variety of visitors more central to their operation.

Random House New Releases - Art - Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions

Conversation Pieces by Mark Carnall

Conversation Pieces Inspirational objects in UCL's historic collectionsWritten by Mark Carnall

The GH Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps by Leon Finik

The GH Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps Written by Thomas Lera and Leon Finik

Against the Grain by Lowery Sims

Against the Grain Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and DesignWritten by Lowery Sims

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists by Faythe Levine

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists Written by Mary Savig Foreword by Faythe Levine

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists by Faythe Levine

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists Written by Mary Savig Foreword by Faythe Levine

The Art of Video Games by Elizabeth Broun

The Art of Video Games From Pac-Man to Mass EffectWritten by Chris Melissinos Foreword by Elizabeth Broun Introduction by Mike Mika

OFFF, Year Zero by Offf

OFFF, Year Zero Artwork and Designs from the OFFF FestivalWritten by Offf

Shipwrecked by J. Keith Wilson

Shipwrecked Tang Treasures and Monsoon WindsWritten by Regina Krahl Edited by John Guy, Julian Raby and J. Keith Wilson

A Revolution in Wood by Elizabeth Broun

A Revolution in Wood The Bresler CollectionWritten by Nicholas R. Bell Afterword by Kenneth Trapp Foreword by Elizabeth Broun

Collecting Native America, 1870-1960 by Shepard Krech, III

Collecting Native America, 1870-1960 Written by Shepard Krech, III

Experimental Geography by Jeffrey Kastner

Experimental Geography Radical Approaches to Landscape, Cartography, and UrbanismWritten by Nato Thompson and Independent Curators International Contribution by Trevor Paglen and Jeffrey Kastner

The Museum of Bad Art by Louise Reilly Sacco

The Museum of Bad Art MasterworksWritten by Michael Frank and Louise Reilly Sacco

Craft in America by Steve Fenton

Craft in America Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and ObjectsWritten by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton

The Art of Gaman by Kit Hinrichs

The Art of Gaman Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946Written by Delphine Hirasuna Designed by Kit Hinrichs Photographed by Terry Heffernan

Legacies by Kathleen M. Kendrick

Legacies Collecting America's History at the SmithsonianWritten by Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick

Skilled Work by Howard Risatti

Skilled Work American Craft in the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian InstitutionWritten by Renwick Gallery, Kenneth R. Trapp and Howard Risatti

Reflections of a Culture Broker by Richard Kurin

Reflections of a Culture Broker A View from the SmithsonianWritten by Richard Kurin

Great French Paintings From The Barnes Foundation by Barnes Foundation

Great French Paintings From The Barnes Foundation Impressionist, Post-impressionist, and Early ModernWritten by Barnes Foundation

Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries by Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Written by Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations by Stephen E. Weil

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations Written by Stephen E. Weil

Conversation Pieces Inspirational objects in UCL's historic collections
Written by Mark Carnall

The GH Kaestlin Collection of Imperial Russian and Zemstvo Stamps
Written by Thomas Lera and Leon Finik

Against the Grain Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design
Written by Lowery Sims

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists
Written by Mary Savig
Foreword by Faythe Levine

Handmade Holiday Cards from 20th-Century Artists
Written by Mary Savig
Foreword by Faythe Levine

The Art of Video Games From Pac-Man to Mass Effect
Written by Chris Melissinos
Foreword by Elizabeth Broun
Introduction by Mike Mika

OFFF, Year Zero Artwork and Designs from the OFFF Festival
Written by Offf

Shipwrecked Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds
Written by Regina Krahl
Edited by John Guy, Julian Raby and J. Keith Wilson

A Revolution in Wood The Bresler Collection
Written by Nicholas R. Bell
Afterword by Kenneth Trapp
Foreword by Elizabeth Broun

Collecting Native America, 1870-1960
Written by Shepard Krech, III

Experimental Geography Radical Approaches to Landscape, Cartography, and Urbanism
Written by Nato Thompson and Independent Curators International
Contribution by Trevor Paglen and Jeffrey Kastner

The Museum of Bad Art Masterworks
Written by Michael Frank and Louise Reilly Sacco

Craft in America Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects
Written by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton

The Art of Gaman Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946
Written by Delphine Hirasuna
Designed by Kit Hinrichs
Photographed by Terry Heffernan

Legacies Collecting America's History at the Smithsonian
Written by Steven Lubar and Kathleen M. Kendrick

Skilled Work American Craft in the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Written by Renwick Gallery, Kenneth R. Trapp and Howard Risatti

Reflections of a Culture Broker A View from the Smithsonian
Written by Richard Kurin

Great French Paintings From The Barnes Foundation Impressionist, Post-impressionist, and Early Modern
Written by Barnes Foundation

Rare Books and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Written by Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Rethinking the Museum and Other Meditations
Written by Stephen E. Weil